Joseph t



(No Model.)

J. T. FLOOD. MACHINE FOR MAKING PAPER.

WITNESSES:

A Tram/5rd NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J OSEPII T. FLOOD, OF HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO BUCHANAN, BOLT82; CO., OF SAME PLACE.

MACHINE FOR MAKING PAPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 403,744, dated May 21,1889.

Application filed October 22, 1887. Serial No. 253,089. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, JOSEPH T. FLOOD, of Holyoke, in the county ofHampden and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Machines for Making Paper, of which the followingis a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming part thereof.

My invention relates to machines for male ing paper in which the web ofpaper is conducted from the tube-frame between two couch-rolls, thencebetween two or more sets of press-rolls, and so on to the driers, ofwhich the well-known Fourdrinier machine is a type, and has for itsobject to remedy certain defects in such machines, by which the qualityof the paper produced by them is impaired. As is well known, the pulp insuch machines is carried upon a wire conveyer until it passes betweenthe couch-rolls, when it is received upon a conveyer of felt, whichtakes it between the first pair of press-rolls, where a second feltreceives it and passes it between the second pair of press-rolls. Thesefelts when new have a nap of considerable length, and while this napremains the paper passes between the pressrolls without detriment to itssurface. The enormous wear upon the felt, however, soon destroys the napupon its surface, and the paper is forced into the body of the felt asit passes between the press-rolls in such manner asto impress theoutline of its surface within the surface of the paper and impair thequality of the latter. It is necessary, therefore, to renew the felts atfrequent intervals at considerable expense, and each renewal entails aloss of time in the operation of the machine, which greatly augments thecost. Again, the use of said felts is open to the further objection thatthe gritty particles contained in the paper become embedded within theirsurface and soon render them practically impervious to water andseriously interfere with the action of the press-rolls in extracting thewater from the paper. I have found that these objections can be obviatedby discarding the press-rolls and felts entirely and increasing thenumber of couch-rolls, the paper being carried through said couch-rollsupon a wire conveyer, and

conducting the paper directly from the couchrolls to the driers.

My invention therefore consists in a machine having a plurality of pairsof couchrolls and a wire or wires to conduct the paper therethrough, ashereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters designate like parts inthe several figures, Figure 1 is aside elevation of aportion ofapapermachinehaving my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a diagramillustrating a slightly-modified form of the invention.

Referring to Fig. 1, the letter A designates the tube-frame, and B thecouch-rolls, of the ordinary Fourdrinier paper-machine, other parts ofsuch machine being omitted, as they are well known and are not necessaryto the illustration of my invention.

As heretofore constructed an endless wire apron, or wire,as it iscalled, passes around a roll, at one end of the tube-frame and aroundthe lower couch-roll, B, suitable intermediate guiding-rolls beingprovided, and the web of paper, a, in a plastic condition, is carriedupon said wire along the tube-frame and through the couch-rolls, whereit is received upon an endless apron of felt and carried between thefirst set of press-rolls, from which a second felt carries it throughthe second set of press-rolls, and so on to the driers, in a mannerfamiliar to persons skilled in the art. As hereinbefore stated, thereare serious objections to the use of said felts, and I have thereforedevised a machine in which both the felts and the press-rolls arediscarded and a plurality of sets of couch-rolls are utilized.

The letters 13 l) designate, respectively, two additional sets ofcouclrrolls, which are mounted upon the frame of the machine in the samemanner that the rolls B have heretofore been mounted thereon, and b thewire, which is extended so that it passes between each of the two rollsof the three sets and passes around the lower roll ofthe set Bguide-rolls 1, 2, and 3 being suitably arranged, as shown, to retainsaid wire under proper tension. Rolls l and 5 are also preferablyinterposed between the sets of couch-rolls, as shown, to support thewire. \Vhen my incorresponding to the usual wire as used herevention isapplied to existing machines, by removing the press-rolls and felts andsubstituting therefor the plurality of couch-rolls, there will be aconsiderable distance between the last set of couch-rolls and thedriers, and to afford a support for the paper in such cases I prefer tolocate an apron, E, between said rolls and the driers, as shown, saidapron being mountedupon three rolls, 6 7 8, to one of which positivemotion is imparted in the usual manner. In constructing a new machine,however, the distance between said parts can be lessened, so that saidapron may be dispensed with.

The paper, a, is carried upon the wire b',between each of the sets ofrolls B B B in succession, and, the wire permitting the water to escapefrom the paper freely, it is in a condition, when it emerges frombetween the last set, to pass directly to the driers, either with orwithout the intervening supporting-apron, as the case may be, asindicated by arrow 9. The paper is thus passed to the driers withoutliability of having its surface impaired by worn-out felts, and the costof frequent renewals of the felts is avoided.

In Fig.2 I have shown as a modification four sets of couch-rolls insteadof three, and have illustrated in connection therewith the use of twowires instead of one, the wire f tofore, and wire 9 being a short wireoperating in connection with the additional couchrolls.

By the use of the additional wire my invention can be applied toexisting machines without disturbing the wire previously usedthereon,and said additional wire can be used in connection with the twosets of additional couch-rolls shown in Fig. 1 in the same manner asshown in connection with the three sets in Fig. 2.

I have illustrated the four sets of rolls in Fig. 2, for the reason thatthe number of such sets which can be employed in addition to the firstset as used on such machines heretofore can be varied within the spiritof my invention; but for practical purposes I regard the use of threesets of rolls, as shown in Fig. l, as being preferable.

The fact that the plurality of couch-rolls are capable of accomplishingthe function of I the heavier press-rolls in extracting the water fromthe paper is due to the great facility with which the water passesthrough the wire as compared with the felts employed with pressrolls.

An additional advantage gained by the use of a wire, as hereindescribed, in the place of felts is that the former is kept clean by thepassage through it of the water extracted from the paper, whereas thelatter are soiled and rendered injurious to the surface of the paper bythe gritty particles and other impurities deposited upon them, and whichcan be removed only at the expense of much time and labor.

While the meshes of the wire usually employed on paper-machines aresufficiently open to permit the water to escape freely therethrough, asjust described, they are so small that the only mark left thereby uponthe paper is upon the extreme surface of the latter, and such marks areobliterated by the act-ion of the calenders after the paper passes thedriers.

It will be observed from the foregoing description that by a simple andinexpensive change of construction I am enabled to overcome gravedefects in paper-makin g machines as heretofore made.

It is obvious that modifications other than those hereinbefore mentionedcan be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with the tube-frame and driers of a machine formaking paper, of a plurality of pairs of couch-rolls located betweensaid tube-frame and driers in such manner that the web of paper passesdirectly from the last pair of said rolls to the driers, and a wireserving to carry the web over said tube-frame and between each of saidpairs of couch-rolls, arranged and operating substantially as described,whereby the use of pressrolls and felts is avoided.

2. In a machine for making paper, the combination,with roll 6, of thethree sets of couchrolls B, B, and B and wire b, passirg arcurid roll eand the lower roll of set B and between the upper and lower rolls ofsets B B, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a machine for making paper, the comdescribed, of rolls (3 '7 S andapron E, mounted thereon, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

JOSEPH T. FLOOD.

X Vitnesses:

W. H. CHAPMAN, H. K. HAWES.

